New world technology brings old-world practice into the 21st Century
For centuries, the art of drying fish hadn't changed much on the famed Gaspe Coast in Quebec, Canada, where a handful of fisheries dried their world-renowned North Atlantic cod by sunlight. But that was before a consulting engineer customized existing HVAC technology to improve the productivity, shipment, scheduling and taste of the cod.
Instead of depending on the unpredictable outdoor drying process, which requires at least a week of steady sunshine, fish processor Lelievre, Lelievre and Lemoignan (LLL), Sainte-Therese de Gaspe, Quebec, now uses two custom-manufactured DF-60 Dry-O-Tron dehumidifiers by manufacturer Dectron Internationale of Roswell, Ga. The dehumidifiers supply dry air to racks of fresh cod for 32 to 36 hours in dual custom-fabricated sheet metal drying tunnels inside LLL's 100,000-sq.-ft. headquarters. The air distribution design, 6-ft. by 6-ft. by 40-ft.-long tunnels and equipment specifications were handled by mechanical designer Le Groupe Prodapec Inc., a St. Jerome, Quebec-based consultant specializing in turn-key dehumidification and drying projects.